Combined clothing hanger and clamp.



No. 828,785. PATENTBD AUG. 14, 1906. F. THOMPSON. COMBINED CLOTHING HANGER AND CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED IEB.6,1906.

witnizoaeo UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

COMBINED CLOTHING HANGER AND CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 14, 1906.

Application filed February 5, 1906. Serial No. 299,545-

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED THOMPSON, a civil engineer in the United States Navy, temporarily residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Combined Clothing Hangers and Clamps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for suspending clothing in a locked position, and has for its object to provide an adjustable locking clamping device that may be engaged with the body of the article or articles to be suspended, said device being capable of com paratively wide adjustment to accommodate itself to articles of varying bulk.

It is a common regulation in machine-shops and places of similar character where oily waste is employed to forbid the use of closed receptacles, such as closets or lockers, to receive the working clothing of the employees, it being a requirement that such clothing shall be so located as to insure a free circulation of air therearound to eliminate danger of spontaneous combustion, as well as to permit an inspection of the same by the foremen to see that no waste or other dangerous materials are contained therein.

My present invention is designed to fill this requirement in an efficient manner, as will be hereinafter more definitely pointed out and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my im proved device, showing the same retaining an article of clothing in the locked position.

Fig. 2 is a detail elevation of the same.

In the said drawings the reference-numeral 1 denotes the body portion of the device, the same being hook-shaped somewhat in the form of the letter U. Said body portion is preferably apertured at 2 at its upper end for adjustable engagement with a suitable support, such as a rod 3, and is provided with a smaller aperture 4 at its other end for the reception of the hasp of a padlock 5 or other suitable locking means. On its outer curved surface intermediate its ends said bod por tion is provided with a plurality of s ots 6, which upon an inspection of the dotted lines in Fig. 2, denoting the radiant angles of said slots, will be seen to be so positioned in said body portion 1 as to radiate from a common center above the hasp-receiving aperture 4 for a purpose hereinafter to be described.

slots 6.

from the aperture 4, that portion of the body portion 1 containing thesame being formed on the arc of a circle struck from the aperture 4 as a center.

The numeral 7 denotes the clamping-lever of the device, the same consisting of a suitable handle 8 and the bifurcated arms 9, embracing the body portion 1 and connected at their outer ends by a pin 10 of a size to fit the The bifurcated arms of said clamping-lever are curved concavely to form a clothing-receiving space formed between the same and the body portion 1, the same forming a shoulder 11, also for a purpose hereinafter to be described. 1

The operation of my device is as follows:- The user by removing padlock 5 and lifting the clamping-lever 7 above the end of body portion 1 provides room for the insertion of the clothing to be suspended, which is done by laying the same bodily across the body portion 1, as shown. Now by bringing the pin 10 into engagement with that notch 6 that is so located that the clamping-lever when brought down on the clothing will pass aperture 4 just sufficiently to permit the insertion of the hasp of padlock 5 the clothing willbe securely clamped against removal. By

having the slots 6 radiate from a point above the aperture 4 it w ll be seen that upon an attempt being made to push the clampinglever 7 longitudinally out of engagement with its slot 6 the upper face of said slot, being at a downward angle to the-line of movement of pin 10, will tend to force the latter and the clamping-lever 7 downward, which will be resisted by the already tightly-clamped clothing, thus preventing the disengagement of pin 10 from slot 6. This disengagement is further prevented by the shoulder 1 1, formed by the curvatures of the clamping-lever 7, for as said clamping-lever must move longitudinally the length of its engaged slot 6 in order to disengage said shoulder 11 during said longitudinal movement will also be forced against the clothing and tend to further compress them. As an additional safeguard against disengagement I may also form on the upper side of the clamping-lever 7 a decided shoulder 12, as shown in Fig. 2, which by its engagement against the hasp of the padlock 5 would require a material downward and lateral movement of the clampinglever in order to disengage from the engaged slot 6. With this construction the shoulder Said slots 6 are also substantially equidistant l 1 1 may be dispensed with, if desired.

IIO

Having thus described my invention, what I when moved toward the disengaging posi- I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A clothing hanger and clamp, embodying a plurality of members relatively adjustab'le with respect to each other, and adapted to engage each other at a plurality of points, and means for retaining said members in clamping position operating in combination with the retained clothing.

2. A clothing hanger and clamp, embodying two members relatively adjustable and separable, one of said members having a plurality of slots with which one end of the other member may be engaged to vary their rela tive adjustment, and a locking means operating in combination with the retained clothing to retain the sition.

3. A clothing hanger and clamp, embodying a curved body portion forming a concaved clothing-receiving space between its ends, a clamping-lever adjustably engaging with said body portion at one clamping end other clamping end, and a locking means for retaining said clamping-lever at the fixed point of retention.

4. A clothing hanger and clamp, embodying a curved body portion forming a concaved clothing-receiving space between its v ends and having a plurality of slots on the exterior thereof, a clamping-lever adapted to adjustably engage said slots at one clamping end, and a locking means adapted to retain the other clamping end of said lever at a fixed point against movement toward the unclamping position.

5. In a clothing hanger and clamp, the combination with two clamping members between which the clothing is clamped and 1 having an'adjustable engagement at one end, and a locking means. for retaining the other clamping ends of said members against move ment toward the unclamping position, but permitting movement otherwise to disengage their adjustable ends, said members,

parts in their clamping po tion, simultaneously moving toward the clamping position and otherwise diminishing the clamping area.

6. A clothing hanger and clamp, embodying a curved body portion forming a concaved clothing-receiving space between its ends and having a plurality of slots on the exterior thereof, a clamping member adapted to adjustably engage said slots at one clamping end, and a locking means adapted to retain the clamping end of said lever at a fixed point against movement toward the unclamping position, but permitting movement in the direction of disengagement with said slots, the angles of inclination of said slots with respect to said locking-point being such that, when said lever is moved toward disengagement, it is simultaneously forced toward the clamping position.

7. A clothing hanger and clamp, embodying a curved body portion forming a concaved clothing-receiving space between its 3 endsand having a plurality of slots on the and having a fixed point of retention at its l exterior thereof, an oppositely-curved clamping-lever forming a shoulder and adapted to adjustably engage said slots at one clamping end, and a locking means adapted to retain the clamping end of said lever at a fixed point against movement toward the unclamping position, but permitting movement in the direction of disengagement with said slots,

the angles of inclination of said slots with respect to said locking-point being such that, when said lever is moved toward disengagement, it is simultaneously forced toward the clamping position, and the shoulder on said clamping-lever, when moved in said direction, also moving into and diminishing the clamping-space.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRED THOMPSON. Witnesses:

OHAs. BAMBERG, EDWARD W. CURTIS. 

